After Return

Discrimination
Other young people struggled to either find
or sustain work as a result of experiencing
discrimination against returnees. In five separate
cases, young people talked about being made
redundant or refused employment when it emerged
that they were a returnee. It appears that this is not
an issue that subsided with time, with one young
person reporting that even several months after
being back in Afghanistan, his employer “had to
let me go - because he said I had a bad story…
now it’s hard to find work because if anyone knows
about my story I’m afraid because my life would be
in danger” (R18, ILD). Another two young people
said that fear of being discovered as a returnee
had prevented them from going out to find work,
with one explaining that “they will find out who I
am and where I have come back from if I work. The
rumours will spread from there” (R22, IM3). Another
explained that he was told by a potential employer
to go to the ministry to get his UK school certificates
validated, but that he didn’t go because he was
afraid of what might happen if people “know that I
studied in the UK” (R23, SI2).
Lack of relevant skills
Another five young people found that the skills
they have developed were not relevant for the
job market in Afghanistan. Lack of, or poor, literacy
skills in Dari and Pashtu emerged as a key problem
for several young people. One explained that “it is
difficult for me to get a job because I have problems
with speaking and writing Dari and Pashto. My
English is in fact better because of so long in the UK!”
(R23, SI2). When competing with the young Afghan
elite (many of whom are also fluent in English) for
work, lack of literacy in their mother tongue has
been a significant barrier for young returnees.
Others have found that the skills and work
experience gained in the UK do not transfer easily
to Afghanistan. When they had been back in
Afghanistan for several months, two young returnees
explained that they used to work in pizza shops in
the UK, “but in Afghanistan nobody eats pizza, so
there aren’t any pizza shops where I could go and
work” (R07, IAR).
Case study 7: Nasratullah
Nasratullah, 23, had been back in Afghanistan for three and a half years before his initial
interview. For seven months, he had worked for the owner of a construction company who
had been introduced to him by someone he met on the plane. However, his employer “had
to let me go because he said I had a bad story” (R18, ILD). Scared that “my life would be
in danger because of my father” (ibid) he moved around regularly but occasionally found
casual driving or construction work.
Although he had his ESOL Entry 3 certificates from the UK, he had still been unable to find a
job because “everyone is asking for year 12 Afghan school leaving certificate”. “I made a
CV,” he said, “but I haven’t found a proper job.” He filled his time “just working and looking
for work” and still held out for “a good job” (ibid).
A year later, little had changed. Nasratullah had continued to find occasional daily work
whose duration was “so short” but “was the only way I was able to manage my expenses”
(R18, IFI). He had studied briefly in a teachers’ training school and hoped this might lead to
work, and was still waiting to hear back from an organisation where he had applied for a job
as a driver. He explained, “They told me they would contact me if there was not any other
suitable person for that post. That might happen in 10 days” (ibid).
Four and a half years after his forced return, his motivation for finding work had moved
beyond mere subsistence. “I am working hard,” he said, “to earn and save some money and
then get out of Afghanistan as soon as I can. Life is not safe here” (ibid).
After Return 42